Back in the summer of 2011, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) selected PyeongChang, South Korea as the site for the XXIII Winter Olympic Games, which take place over the 17-day period February 9th – 25th, 2018. I often wonder… had the future been revealed to the IOC seven years ago, would the Games have been set down on the Korean Peninsula, where North Korea’s leader, Kim Jong-un, has made a vivid display of his nuclear ambitions to the entire world?

Surely the Winter Olympics require no extra drama… the Games themselves will provide plenty of that with ninety nations sending 3,000 athletes to PyeongChang to compete in 100+ sporting events across fifteen different disciplines. And crowning it all will be the opening and closing Olympic ceremonies, as well as all the other celebrations in which 300+ medals will be awarded to the greatest athletes in the world.

How does the NBC Network and its affiliated cable networks bring all this into the American home? Well… they turn on the cameras and just let ‘em roll morning, noon and night! Four years ago (at the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics), NBC broadcast 176 hours, with double that amount (359 hours) spread over four cable networks: NBCSN, MSNBC, USA and CNBC. In all, 535 hours of programming – that’s something like twenty-two days of Olympic content compressed into a 17-day window:

More Cable Programming Than Ever Before!

Not to be outdone, ad-supported cable will air 450 hours of Olympic programming from PyeongChang — an increase of 25% from the 2014 Sochi Games. NBCSN will once again carry the bulk of Olympic programming (360+ hours), and for the first time the network will be telecasting live in primetime throughout the Games.

Strong Cable Viewership

At the 2014 Sochi Olympics, ad-supported cable turned in a solid Live .86 U.S. household rating (good for a 2.36 share). But these are averages which obscure the variation in viewing between the four cable networks that telecast the Winter Games four years ago:

Highly Educated & Upscale Homes

As of this writing, the 2018 scheduled events for each cable network have not yet been set, but based on the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics it’s a good bet you’ll see a variety of Nordic skiing events, as well as speed skating, figure skating and curling.

But whatever the events may be, the Olympics on cable are sure to attract a highly educated and upscale audience. And that’s because the quadrennial games tend to attract light-tuning households, which by definition are homes with higher than average annual incomes. Below are the ratings by household classification for the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics. You can see that the ratings peak for comScore’s highest household income classification $250,000+ (149.4 Index). And since education is highly correlated to income, cable viewers index highest for College and Graduate School (114.0 and 122.5 Index respectively):

Northern Market Skew

To get a sense of regional viewing skews for the upcoming PyeongChang 2018 Winter Olympics, we selected the Top 25 DMAs with the highest ratings from the Sochi 2014 Games. Given that several events are recreational staples in the North (such as skating and skiing), it’s hardly surprising that 23 out of the Top 25 viewing DMAs are located in northern markets. Indeed, nine of these markets are located within states of the Mid-Atlantic Census Region. And overall, many of the highest rated markets are quite bone-chilling in the wintertime, such as Buffalo, Utica and Elmira in New York State… and Duluth, Minneapolis and Rochester in the state of Minnesota:

Summer vs Winter Olympics

Of some note is the fact that there is a significant divergence in local market appeal between the Winter and Summer Olympics. Both attract upscale audiences, but they are not concentrated in the same markets. In looking at the Top 25 DMAs from the 2014 Sochi Winter Games, there are only three markets in common with the 2016 Rio Summer Games. Moreover, the 2014 Sochi Games had only one western market; in sharp contrast, the 2016 Rio Games had a very strong western market skew with eleven DMAs located in the Mountain and Pacific U.S. Census Regions!

Beyond a comparison of just the highest viewing DMAs, we decided to compare ratings for the two Olympics across 200+ DMAs. Below is a scattergram of each and every DMA (represented by purple dots) plotted against the rating for 2016 Rio Summer Olympics (horizontal axis), versus the 2014 Sochi Winter Olympics (vertical axis). Notice that, while there is a slight drift of the DMAs from the lower left to the upper right, the relationship is not a strong one with many DMAs scattered far above and below the straight line (which represents a perfect 100% correlation). Indeed, the correlation between the two sets of data is quite weak (r-squared = 11.4%). In other words, only 11.4% of the variation we are seeing in DMA ratings for the Winter Olympics can be explained by a variation in the DMA ratings for the Summer Olympics. That leaves nearly 90% of the variation in DMA ratings unexplained:

Very Strong Local Cable Advertising Support

Four years ago, the 2014 Sochi Winter Games attracted very strong support with over 160 clients ordering a remarkable 17,000+ spots across 45 Viamedia markets (nearly 60% of our national footprint). That comes to an average of over 100 spots per client – far surpassing any series or major programming event we’ve covered in this space before! And what is crystal clear from the graph below is that many of our local clients maintained a tremendous amount of advertising weight throughout the entire Games, thus maximizing reach with their Olympic schedules:

In terms of local product categories, Automotive leads the way with a 41% share of cable advertising – a figure that is roughly ten share points higher than what we normally see for this category company-wide. And although the next four highest categories combined (Entertainment & Travel, Attorneys & Professional Services, Food & Grocery and Beverages) generated a share level less than Automotive, their collective share of 27% is in fact three-times higher than their share company-wide:

Let the Games Begin

The Olympics are often referred to by the name of the host city or town; thus, London 2012; Sochi 2014; Rio 2016, etc. But PyeongChang is neither a city nor a town… it is in fact a county, and the Games are actually taking place in the township of Daegwallyeong-myeon (that is not a misspelling), and the coastal city of Gangneug, snug up against the Sea of Japan. According to Wikipedia, the close proximity of the two areas (with their respective sporting venues) was a key reason for choosing South Korea for a second time (the first being the Seoul Summer Games of 1988.) And for two-and-a-half-weeks in February, this very small corner of the Korean Peninsula – less than fifty miles from North Korea — will be the scene of intense athletic drama that will attract the attention of viewers from around the world.

]]>https://viamediatv.com/pyeongchang-2018-winter-olympics/feed/0OWN’s The Haves and the Have Notshttps://viamediatv.com/owns-haves-nots/
https://viamediatv.com/owns-haves-nots/#respondTue, 19 Dec 2017 16:21:33 +0000https://viamediatv.com/?p=19282The post OWN’s The Haves and the Have Nots appeared first on Viamedia.
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This past fall, we reviewed Tyler Perry’s salacious, steamy soap opera, “If Loving You is Wrong,” and it’s hardly a coincidence that his other mega-hit series on the Oprah Winfrey Network (OWN) — “The Haves and the Have Nots (HAHN)” — is just as salacious and steamy, if not more! But at another level it’s unfair to make such a glib comparison since “HAHN” deals with a much deeper (and wider) array of themes, such as income inequality, race, religion, politics… you name it, this show has got it.

“HAHN”, which begins its sixth season on January 9th, 2018, follows the trials and tribulations of three Savannah, Georgia families inexorably linked by one scandalous drama after another. Tyler Perry has given us the troika of “Two Haves” (the Cryer and Harrington clans) and one “Have Not” (the Young family), and after five seasons and 100+ episodes, the show has served up a very raw view of life in which several main characters have deep character flaws (to put it mildly).

Take, for example, the head of the Cryer family, Judge James Cryer (played by the American actor and country music singer, John Schneider). Besides being a chronic adulterer, he has used his position of power for all sorts of wicked deeds (such as employing thugs to collect on personal debts). There’s also the matriarch of the Harrington family, Veronica (played by the American actress and singer, Angela Robinson) — a rags-to-riches story who hides her viciousness under a veneer of class and refinement. She is, for example, virulently anti-Gay, which unfortunately extends to her own son. And representing the “Have Nots” is Candace Young, played by the American actress and model, Tika Sumpter — a con artist at heart and mistress of James Cryer.

“HAHN” is pure soap opera that has cast a spell over viewers for several years. Last season, the show delivered rating and share levels three-times higher than the average viewing for OWN in the show’s 9pm time slot. Moreover, “HAHN” actually increased its ratings and shares over the prior year – a feat practically unheard of at a time when Live TV HUT levels are declining with viewers migrating to DVRs, OTT and digital video:

Not only is Live viewing trending up for “HAHN” when TV usage in general is headed in the other direction, but the show also exhibits a high level of DVR activity which more than doubles the Live rating after 15 days — a sure sign of viewer interest and engagement in this primetime soap opera:

Local Market Viewing Skew

To get a sense of regional viewing skews for “HAHN,” we selected the Top 25 DMAs with the highest ratings through the first 5 episodes of Season Five (winter, 2017). Every single market is located south of the Mason-Dixon Line, with 15 of the markets found in just three deep southern States: Georgia, Louisiana and Mississippi. But the geographic skew is a bit more nuanced. It turns out that the show attracts a significant African-American audience. In Season Five, for example, the Live U.S. household rating was 1.60, whereas the rating within African-American homes was over 5-times that level (8.83 rating). Given this remarkable demographic viewing skew, it comes as no surprise that all of the Top 25 Markets have significant African-American populations, with the Median rank being 50 (out of 200+ DMAs):

Local Cable Advertising Support

Over the past two seasons, HAHN has attracted over seventy advertisers who ordered over 460 spots across 20 Viamedia markets (~one-quarter of Viamedia’s national footprint.) That comes to an average of 3.2 spots per advertiser (per season).

In terms of local market advertising categories, automotive’s 31% share is right in line with what we typically see for this category across all programming. Over-represented in “HAHN” is the financial services category (22% share) and tune-in (15% share), both of which attain levels over five-times their average share company-wide:

Season Six and Beyond

“HAHN” premiered in 2013, and when I first viewed it my sense was that the production value wasn’t of the highest grade and the acting a “little” wooden. I’ll leave it to others to decide if there has been any improvement in the intervening four years. But in the end, I’m not sure it really matters. Clearly, this show is doing something right to attract such strong viewer interest. And the OWN Network has surely given “HAHN” a huge vote of confidence… at the start of Season Five, an order was placed for another 40+ episodes, which will take this over-the-top soap opera through Season Six and beyond!

After four seasons on broadcast network television, ABC decided to cancel the primetime music drama, “Nashville.” The reaction was swift and predictable… thousands of broken-hearted fans took to social media in an outpouring of love and support for the show. For a while, it was touch-and-go until the cable network, CMT, announced it would pick up the show for a fifth season, airing twenty-plus new episodes at the start of 2017. And now the bittersweet news for all die-hard “Nashville” fans: the sixth season beginning January 4th, 2018 will be its last.

Over the years, “Nashville” has evolved into several converging (and diverging) plot lines, but the original wellspring for the show was the dynamic confrontation (and competition) between two country and western singers – the reigning queen of Nashville, Reyna James (played by Connie Britton) and a young, upstart pop star, Juliet Barnes (played by Hayden Panettiere). Although neither actress is a professional singer, they both hold their own in a fierce rivalry that explores both the glory and the under-side of the music profession.

Along with the authentic backdrop of Nashville, and the city’s highly developed artistic music scene, the show has also capitalized upon several highly likable (and believable) characters, beginning with Reyna James’ first real love-interest and side-man, Deacon Claybourne (played by actor/singer Charles Esten). Of course, Juliet Barnes has a love interest as well, musician and producer, Avery Barkley (played by the well-known General Hospital soap opera star, Jonathan Jackson). There are several others, many of whom have turned into fan favorites, such as the young (and highly talented) duo Gunner Scott (played by the British actor, Sam Palladio) and Scarlett O’Connor (played by the Australian actress, Clare Bowen). How they’ve managed to shed their true English accents and sing like born-and-bred southerners is beyond my comprehension.

“Nashville’s” first season with CMT generated a Live U.S. household rating of .39 (good for a .70 share). Both figures are roughly 50% higher than CMT’s average primetime viewing in the show’s 9pm time slot. But perhaps the real ratings story is the level of DVR activity, which raised the Live-only rating by a factor of five (after 15 days) – a sure sign of viewer interest and engagement in this heart-felt music drama:

Local Market Viewing Skew

In the chart below, we selected the Top 25 DMAs with the highest ratings for “Nashville” through the first five episodes of Season Five (2017). Given that the show is about the Nashville music scene and is actually filmed in the Music City (capturing several famous Nashville landmarks), it comes as no surprise that the DMA of Nashville captured the very highest rating (out of 200+ television markets). Indeed, four of the six highest rated DMAs are in the state of Tennessee; and, while there is certainly a southern market skew to the show, a more distinct viewing pattern is that “Nashville’s” appeal is to the entire central belt region of our country, stretching from the north (Minnesota and Wisconsin) to the south (Mississippi and Alabama). In all, three-fifths of these markets are represented by Viamedia:

Local Cable Advertising

CMT’s “Nashville” has been on air for only one season, so we have no baseline comparisons to quantify year-over-year sales metrics. But based on records we have for other first year shows, “Nashville” received fairly strong support in its inaugural cable season. All in all, the show attracted nearly 60 advertisers who ordered 400 spots across 26 Viamedia markets (about one-third of Viamedia’ s national footprint.) That comes to an average of 6.8 spots per advertiser.

In terms of local market advertising categories, we typically find Automotive capturing the largest share (by far) — but not with “Nashville” (just 5%). Supplanting Automotive are the categories Furniture & Floor Coverings and Retail & Department Stores, both of which accrue 27% of all local cable advertising – a figure five-times what we normally see for these two categories company-wide. Also over-represented is the Lawn & Garden category at 12%:

The Last Season

Not too long ago, CMT placed a big bet on “Nashville” as it moved toward airing more scripted programs, which now include “Still the King” and “Million Dollar Quartet.” According to CMT president, Brian Philips, “…it’s a natural evolution of the channel… (moving) away from lighter reality fare… to scripted (programs) that embrace music (to attract) a broader audience.”

But CMT’s strategy hit a bump in the road. I’m not sure of the exact timing, but “Nashville’s” biggest star, Connie Britton, decided to call it quits, so the writers had to “kill her off” mid-way through the show’s inaugural season on the network. (Incidentally, the hospital scene was a real tear jerker). The loss of Reyna James has now been followed by news that Season Six is “Nashville’s” last hurrah. If the writers and directors are wise, they will stick to a formula that has worked so well for the entire series; that is, allowing the characters and plotlines to develop logically and organically. Easier said than done… but if they accomplish that, I guarantee “Nashville’s” long, winding narrative will be brought to a memorable end.

]]>https://viamediatv.com/cmts-nashville/feed/0The 2017-2018 College Football Bowl Seasonhttps://viamediatv.com/2017-2018-college-football-bowl-season/
https://viamediatv.com/2017-2018-college-football-bowl-season/#respondTue, 05 Dec 2017 20:07:20 +0000https://viamediatv.com/?p=19235The post The 2017-2018 College Football Bowl Season appeared first on Viamedia.
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If you are a college football fanatic (and count me in), then December is — as Andy Williams once crooned — “…the most wonderful time of the year,” with dozens of Division One College Football Bowl games on tap, beginning on the 16th and culminating in the January 8th, 2018 College Football Playoff National Championship.

Great college football games have always been a staple of ad-supported cable television, and make no mistake about it… ESPN is the “stapler.” Out of something like 40 College Bowl Games last season (2016-17), ESPN carried over three-quarters of them, delivering a solid Live average U.S. household rating of 2.6 (and a 5.8 share.) Source: comScore TV Essentials ® Data Telecast Summary Report

But a note of caution.

After several years of audience growth, the 2016-17 College Bowl Season was tackled with the same force that hit professional football – an erosion in viewing, which was off double-digits in both average rating and share. There are several explanations, including lower HUT levels as viewers slowly (but surely) migrate to all things digital, as well as a surge in cable news viewing that carried well beyond the early November Presidential Election. Another issue may simply boil down to the age-old expression, “too much of a good thing,” as the sheer number of games continues to expand:

This upcoming bowl season represents the fourth year of the current college football playoff format in which the top four ranked teams in the nation (i.e., after the final regular season game) vie to be crowned the National College Football Champion. As you can imagine, there is always some controversy swirling around rankings of any sort (which has become a sport unto itself), but there was never a doubt that the playoff bowl games would generate tremendous fan interest. Last year’s games were no exception with the National Championship Game between the Clemson Tigers and the University of Alabama generating a 10.44 U.S. Household rating (good for a 19.32 share):

Hometown Cooking

We’ve noted in several past sports-oriented blogs that national cable ratings are just the tip of the iceberg, and that local market viewership goes through the roof when home teams are involved in national telecasts. The top seven highest rated DMAs for last year’s National Championship Game are all located within the home states of the participating teams, Clemson (South Carolina) and the University of Alabama:

Upscale Viewing

College Football Bowl Games on ESPN pack a double punch – a large, highly engaged audience that also happens to be upscale. As can be seen in the chart below, the household ratings by income top out at $175,000 – $199,999 (123.2 Index). And higher incomes are also associated with a better educated viewer (Graduate School Index = 120.6):

Local Cable Advertising Demand

Local cable advertising demand for College Football Bowl games has been very strong. Over the past two Bowl Seasons (2015-6 & 2016-17), over 900 Viamedia clients ordered 27,500 30-second units across 64 markets (nearly 85% of our national footprint.) That comes to an average of 14.6 spots per client (per Bowl Season.)

In terms of local cable advertising categories, football (any football, collegiate or professional) is a magnet for automotive dollars. Over the past two seasons, 400 local automotive dealers and manufacturers ordered 12,900 spots in college football bowl games. In all, they represent 47% of all advertising investments. The second largest category – financial — captured 11% of all category sales which is more than double the level we typically see for this category company-wide:

Let the Bowl Games Begin

There’s an old saying that great college football programs never rebuild… they just reload. And look no further than the University of Alabama and the Clemson Tigers, who have met the past two years in the College Bowl Championship Game. Both teams find themselves once again in the Final Four.

But I’m getting way ahead of myself, and there’s quite a lot of college bowl football before the Championship Game in early January. For college football fans, and local cable advertisers seeking to reach them, it doesn’t get any better than this! Let the Bowl Games begin.

“Home for the holidays” conjures many images, and when it comes to watching television during the month of December, that image is probably ad-supported cable television, which accrues over 80% of all gross impressions associated with holiday-themed TV programming.

As 2017 winds down with the holiday season and New Year’s fast approaching, we’ve departed from our standard blog format to concentrate – not on a particular show or major sporting event – but rather on cable programming thematically linked to the upcoming holidays.

In order to do so, we started out by searching the comScore database (for the calendar month of December 2016) utilizing four search terms: “Holiday,” “Christmas,” “Hanukkah” and “Kwanzaa.” In all, the comScore Summary Report returned 1,000 telecasts, which we grouped into one of three major sources of viewing:

When we parsed the holiday-themed cable programs by genre, the appeal of movies came into ultra-sharp focus, with three movie segments in particular comprising the majority of cable’s December holiday offerings: Holiday-themed movies (44%); Comedy-themed movies (15%); and Romance-themed movies (14%):

The “Big 4” of Holiday-Themed Programming

By our count, there are nearly 40 ad-supported cable networks providing holiday-themed programming for the month of December, with four major networks – Hallmark Channel, Hallmark Movies & Mysteries, Lifetime and Freeform — accruing nearly 80% of all ad-supported gross impressions (which translates into two-thirds of all impressions across all sources of viewing):

In focusing on the “Big 4” holiday cable networks, it’s clear that holiday-themed programming plays a crucial role in their overall December programming lineups. Hallmark Channel, for example, devotes 54% of their total day programming minutes to holiday themed programs. And their respective ratings get quite a boost with holiday-themed programs, which range anywhere from ~90% (Hallmark and Hallmark Movies & Mysteries), to +100% (Freeform and Lifetime) over and above their non-Holiday themed programming:

Local Cable Advertising

There is tremendous demand for Holiday-themed programming during the last month of the year, and we estimate that 3-4% of total Viamedia company-wide advertising dollars accrue to such programming. Last December 2016, over 1,200 clients ordered 60,000+ 30-second spots on holiday programming across 71 Viamedia markets (practically our entire nation-wide footprint). That comes to an average of 50 commercial units per client.

Local Cable Product Categories

The five largest local cable advertising categories comprise nearly two-thirds of all advertising investments, and are all associated with the December Holidays, such as year-end automotive sales, retail & grocery shopping, dining out and vacation travel:

A Month Filled with Holiday Programming

As family and friends gather together to enjoy the holiday season, there is sure to be good food, good company and more than enough holiday-themed programming on cable to take everyone through the entire month of December and into the New Year. Enjoy the holidays!

Has our country gone a little dessert-crazy? I’m not referring to the gradual increase in our collective waist size, but rather the sheer number of current TV shows and specials devoted to a growing array of sweet delectables. According to the fascinating blog site, “Pastry Sampler,” there are dozens of such savory shows across several cable networks, including Food Network’s, “Cake Wars,” the subject of this blog, which is not to be confused by its predecessor show, “Cupcake Wars,” nor “Cake Masters” nor “Cake Boss.”

“Cake Wars” is one of several modern-day baking (and cooking) shows that pit professional chefs against one another for various prizes, which in this case means cash and having one’s winning creation appear at a major event. And speaking of the creations, forget about that amazing triple-layer chocolate cake your grandma used to bake for you. In “Cake Wars,” you won’t even think it’s a cake at all, but rather some highly refined 3-D sculpture that is rendered in fascinating, colorful detail.

Each episode is built around a particular theme. For example, Season Three kicked off with the episode, “Captain America,” in which four cheftestants had 75 minutes to create a dessert utilizing the three most prevalent colors worn by the action-hero — red, white and blue. The ingredients were laid out on the “inspiration table”: red raspberries and pomegranates, blue corn and blueberries and white onions and coconut. Three of the four cheftestants made it through this preliminary round for the ultimate test – a 4-hour bake off (with assistants) to see who could create the most amazing, dazzling cake built around the theme of “going toe-to-toe” with Captain America. The winning entry became the centerpiece for a fancy gala affair celebrating the 75th anniversary of Captain America.

There seems to be no dearth of themes for “Cake Wars” which has already aired 47 original episodes (plus ~20 specials) compressed within a 16-month window. That’s a lot of content, which may have generated a bit of viewer fatigue. Add in the migration of audiences to digital video and it’s not so surprising that “Cake Wars” has experienced a decline in Live ratings and shares:

Geographic Viewing Pattern

Unlike many of the series we’ve blogged about in this space, the highest market viewing for “Cake Wars” is not concentrated in the south, although there are in fact seven DMAs (in the Top 25) that are south of the Mason-Dixon Line. The highest concentration (by far) can be found in the Mid-Atlantic Census Region with ten DMAs concentrated in just two states – New York and Pennsylvania:

Local Cable Advertising

Over the past two years, across nearly 50 episodes since its first airing, “Cake Wars” has attracted 100+ advertisers in 37 Viamedia markets (~48% of our national footprint.) Collectively they’ve ordered nearly 1,000 spots which comes to an average of over 8 spots per client. And in terms of advertising categories, Automotive captures 40% of all local cable ad dollars, which is about seven share points higher than what we normally see for this category company-wide. The second highest share goes to Furniture & Floor Coverings (16%), which is three-times the level we normally see for this category. Surprisingly, the Food & Grocery category captures only the fourth highest share (at 7%), but that is 3-times the level that normally accrues to this category:

It’s About the Cake

Each episode of “Cake Wars” moves smartly along under the direction of host, Jonathan Bennett, a familiar actor (and former model) from several televisions series. There are also dedicated (and guest) judges dispensing advice, as well as strategically inserted vignettes with the cheftestants.

But the real excitement is when the competition begins. There is something fascinating about watching chefs competing with one another (and the clock) to create the fanciest and most sophisticated cakes you’ve ever seen! And even though you witness these cakes rise from water, flour, sugar and numerous ingredients from the “inspiration table,” you are still left gawking at the final creation wondering, “How in the heck did they make that thing?”

The only issue for the show is whether or not Bravo may have over-baked it a bit, scheduling over 40 new episodes in a 15-month period. Then, again, the show has a plethora of ingredients to draw from in the form of numerous pop culture themes that should keep this show fresh for several more seasons.

In what has become an annual holiday tradition, the cable industry will be serving up a stack of marathon programming events this Thanksgiving Day, Thursday, November 23rd. And side-by-side with all that great home cookin’ will be a round-the-clock buffet of ad-supported cable programming.

Airing consecutive episodes from the same program has led to what we call today, “binge viewing” — a term we normally associate with several over-the-top digital channels such as Hulu, Netflix and Amazon. But long before the Internet became a standard household utility, the cable industry was running marathon programming blocs, starting in the early 1990s with TBS’ “Seven Days of 007”. That quickly morphed into “15 Days of 007” and soon thereafter cable networks began experimenting with their own marathon programming events.

And on no day of the year has the marathon programming tactic become more pronounced than Thanksgiving when family and friends take time out from their busy schedules to gather round hearth & home, and I guess the television set as well. Below is a sampling of nearly two dozen Thanksgiving Day cable programs that were served up last year in extra-large slices. Collectively, they averaged nearly 16 episodes per title and ran for a length of over 10 consecutive hours! The genres run the gamut of cable favorites from Documentary, to Reality, Animated, Sitcoms and, of course, Cooking:

Local Cable Advertising

Thanksgiving is a very popular day for cable advertisers nationwide. We looked into our internal records and found that — for each of the past four years – the amount of advertising on Thanksgiving Day was anywhere from 9% – 14% higher than the average day for that year:

We isolated the day of Thanksgiving, 2016 (November 24th) and found 17 of the above “marathon networks” that exhibited local cable advertising activity during a marathon telecast. In total, 137 clients ordered over 1,000 30-second spots across 47 Viamedia markets (60+% of Viamedia’s nationwide footprint). That comes to an average of 8 spots per advertiser.

In terms of local cable advertising categories, Automotive captures the highest share at 36% — an amount that is more or less in line with we normally see for this category company-wide. The second highest share level (24%) for the Furniture & Floor Covering category is the one that really stands out – a figure that is almost 4-times the average share company-wide:

When it comes to Thanksgiving Day dinner, so many culinary traditions have arisen over the years. Little did I know that the traditional oven-roasted turkey served in my home is actually optional in others, where you’re just as likely to find all sorts of comestibles, from deep-fried turkey, to ham, roast beef, pasta, pizza… you name it. And, of course, there will be one other dish served up in extra large portions – a savory selection of marathon programming on ad-supported cable TV.

]]>https://viamediatv.com/thanksgiving-day-2017-cable-marathon/feed/02 Simple Ways to Measure Marketing Campaign Successhttps://viamediatv.com/measure-marketing-campaign/
https://viamediatv.com/measure-marketing-campaign/#respondWed, 08 Nov 2017 18:31:23 +0000https://viamediatv.com/?p=19142Assessing whether a marketing campaign was successful has become increasingly difficult because of the complex consumer purchase funnel. Consumers are being exposed to messages on multiple channels, which makes it difficult to pinpoint the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. Breaking down marketing measurements into high quality web traffic and in-store traffic are two easy ways […]

]]>Assessing whether a marketing campaign was successful has become increasingly difficult because of the complex consumer purchase funnel. Consumers are being exposed to messages on multiple channels, which makes it difficult to pinpoint the effectiveness of a marketing campaign. Breaking down marketing measurements into high quality web traffic and in-store traffic are two easy ways to assess marketing efforts.

Ways To Measure Marketing Campaign Success:

#1-Branded Search Lift

Outside of Google Adwords and Facebook, few media produce direct action or clicks to a web site. Running pre-roll video ads, targeted TV commercials or audience targeted display; all lead a consumer to a search query. It is a marketing campaigns job to influence that consumers search with a branded name. Branded search is a companies most valuable traffic and allows a company to reduce the competition in the search space.

#2-In Store Traffic Lift

Web site traffic is important in the consumer purchase funnel, but knowing foot traffic conversions takes attribution to the next level. The ability to capture consumer’s mobile IDs, allows marketing companies to quantify digital marketing efforts for a brick and mortar store. As many marketers would say: “I brought the customer in the store, you have to close them!”

Attribution Reality

Currently, there is a gap between marketing and sales. Though software is trying to close the gap, it is not perfect. Continue to expect issues with attribution and consider a full view of the purchase funnel.

Tales of buried treasure never seem to die… they just get passed down from one generation to the next. Surely some of the treasures eventually come to light; others won’t. And still others are complete fabrications. (My pet theory: the more complex the backstory, the greater the chance of an unadulterated hoax.) But true or not, the allure and fascination is very real, and we need look no further than the highly successful reality-series from History, “The Curse of Oak Island,” which premieres for a fifth season on November 7th, 2017.

There is, of course, a backstory to the show – quite a long one in fact. Oak Island is part of Nova Scotia, Canada, and way back in 1799 a farmer found some sort of depression in the ground and started digging for a treasure supposedly left by none other than the famed pirate, Captain Kidd. (Well, shiver me timbers!) Several years later, two companies resumed the dig finding all sorts of provocative signs, such as a rock with mysterious symbols pointing the way to a vast treasure. Of course there was flooding in the shaft and all work came to a halt. That is, until a mid-19th Century firm decided to drill a side shaft to avoid all that water. But it, too, came to ruin just the same.

And the story practically repeated itself, one failed dig after another in what quickly became known as the “money pit.” And along the way several famous people became infatuated with the story including President Franklin D. Roosevelt! The mystery of the treasure site intensified even further in the mid-1960s when four people were killed by carbon monoxide from an engine used to excavate one of several shafts. But that didn’t stop subsequent treasure hunters who uncovered one tantalizing clue after another.

Which leads us to History’s reality-series, “The Curse of Oak Island,” which originally premiered with a 5-episode season in the winter of 2014. The show features the Lagina brothers (Rick and Marty), who became obsessed with the Oak Island Treasure story in their pre-teen years after reading about the fatal mid-1960s accident. How obsessed? Well, they eventually bought a controlling interest in the entire island where they hunt for various clues into the centuries-old mystery.

But clearly, they’re not the only ones obsessed. The show has captured a significant following, delivering consistently high ratings and shares over the past four seasons. And although ratings have fallen off a tad since the inaugural season, the show’s Live share level last season is actually higher than the share in Season One (2.08 vs 1.91.) Another point of comparison: “The Curse of Oak Island” captures an audience 90% higher than History’s average performance in the show’s 9pm time slot:

One last note is the fact that, when we add in DVR usage, “The Curse of Oak Island” ratings increase two-and-a-half times after 15 days of the live airing – a sure sign of viewer interest and engagement in the show:

Local Market Viewing Skew

To get a sense of regional viewing skews for “The Curse of Oak Island,” we selected the Top 25 DMAs with the highest ratings through the first 5 episodes of Season Four (2016 – 2017). It may be just a coincidence (or not), but the stars of the show (Rick and Marty Lagina) are from Michigan – a state that encompasses five of the Top 25 viewing markets. In fact, the highest ratings are concentrated in just five states (Michigan, West Virginia, New York, Maine and Pennsylvania) which collectively encompass 19 DMAs. And many of these markets are quite small and rural with a median DMA household size ranking of 155 (out of 210 DMAs):

Local Cable Advertising Support

Local cable advertising demand for “The Curse of Oak Island” is quite strong. Over the past two seasons, the show has attracted over 100 advertisers who ordered nearly 1,200 30-second spots across 48 Viamedia markets (~60% of Viamedia’s national footprint). That comes to an average of 5.7 spots per advertiser (per year). Moreover, Viamedia clients increased their commitment to the show significantly over the past two seasons, upping their collective investment by 40%!

In terms of local market advertising categories, Automotive is far and away the largest, capturing a nearly half of all cable ad investments – a figure that is ~15 share points higher than what we normally see for this category company-wide. The second largest category (Telephone & Telecom Services — at 11%) is also over-represented, capturing a share level that is 12-times the typical level:

On to Season Five

After four full seasons, “The Curse of Oak Island” has tantalized viewers with numerous clues, maps, riddles, archival material, theories, conjectures… you name it. But, still, no real treasure left by Captain Kidd, or anyone else for that matter. But who really cares? The thrill is in the chase, and the Lagina Brothers (and fellow fortune hunters) are relentless in the pursuit. They are also independently wealthy, which allows them to pursue a childhood dream that has fascinated millions of viewers along the way.

]]>https://viamediatv.com/curse-oak-island/feed/0NCAA College Basketball: Local Cable Ratings are A Slam Dunkhttps://viamediatv.com/2017-2018-ncaa-college-basketball-cable/
https://viamediatv.com/2017-2018-ncaa-college-basketball-cable/#respondWed, 01 Nov 2017 21:07:14 +0000https://viamediatv.com/?p=19113The post NCAA College Basketball: Local Cable Ratings are A Slam Dunk appeared first on Viamedia.
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With college football well under way, the Men’s NCAA College Basketball Season is right around the corner — a marathon of games (thousands of them) over the next four months before ending in “March Madness” and the crowning of the NCAA Division I National Champion. And like college football, Ad-Supported Cable is the premier source for watching college basketball all season long – from the regular season on ESPN, ESPN2 and The Big Ten Network (BTN), to the NCAA Tournament on TBS, TNT and TruTV.

When it comes to the men’s college basketball season (and conference championships), cable was responsible for delivering the vast majority of household gross impressions (as well as upscale and highly educated household impressions) with ESPN alone accounting for over one-third of them:

The highest national cable ratings for college basketball accrue to ESPN which for several years was able to maintain (and sometimes grow) their Live U.S. household ratings. But last season the games were negatively impacted by three factors — cord cutting, increased VOD, OTT and DVR usage and the migration of viewing to all things digital – which collectively dragged down ratings and shares anywhere from 15% to 25%. Lower viewing, however, did not impact ESPN’s ability to attract a very upscale audience; indeed, ESPN’s highest average rating accrued to the highest household income break ($250,000+). The same goes for the highest education break (Graduate School):

Local Market Ratings Soar above the Rim

The ESPN ratings story is really just the tip of the iceberg, since behind the network’s nationwide popularity is the tremendous spike in local market interest when hometown teams appear on national telecasts. For example, the January 23rd game between the Sooners of Oklahoma and Texas Long Horns delivered a national U.S. Household rating of .76. But in each team’s respective home DMA, ratings were three-to-four times higher. And that’s not unusual at all as can be seen in the chart below in which DMA ratings can surpass national levels by a factor of ten… and sometimes even more:

Local Cable Advertising Demand

Based on what we’ve heard from our local advertisers, their continued strong interest in men’s basketball is based on the general excitement and high profile nature of the college game in their respective markets. Over the past two regular seasons (2015-16 & 2016-17), over 800 Viamedia clients ordered nearly 28,000+ 30-second spots across 67 markets (87% of Viamedia’s nationwide footprint.) That comes to an average of 33 spots per advertiser.

Although ESPN captures the largest share of local cable advertising dollars (and highest ratings), it should be noted that there are several other cable networks that have attracted the interest of Viamedia clients nationwide. ESPN2, for example, captured 22% of local dollars, followed by the Big Ten Network at 9%, leaving another eight regional cable networks dividing an additional 10%:

Local Cable Advertising Categories

As is the case with every other major sport (professional or collegiate) profiled in this space, men’s college basketball attracts a broad array of car manufacturers, regional dealer groups and individual dealerships. In all, the Automotive category captured a 41 share of total local cable advertising – a figure that is two-and-one-half times the size of the next two largest categories, Financial Services and Hardware & Home Improvement (both with an 8% share). But it should be noted that, while Automotive’ s share is about 20% higher than what we normally see for this category company-wide, the latter two categories are about 70% higher than average:

A Much-Needed Return to the Hardwood Floor

There have been a few rough bumps along the road to the 2017-18 college men’s basketball season. And that’s putting it mildly… very mildly. Back in late September, federal investigators in New York revealed several allegations about unethical recruiting violations, which is (regrettably) a recurring theme for college basketball. This time around, the charges included steering players to certain financial advisors (once they turned pro), as well as under-the-table sneaker endorsement deals. The blowback reached the very highest echelons of college basketball with Louisville’s head basketball coach placed on “unpaid administrative leave.”

Frankly, I’m not sure what all of this means to the typical college basketball fan. What I do know is that, once the season begins in mid-November, college arenas around the country will be filled with screaming fans, rooting for the home team and mercilessly heckling opposing players at the foul line. And for those unable to attend the games, they will get more than their fill with dozens of games each week on cable TV. After all the unseemly revelations, it will be a much-needed return to the hardwood floor. Enjoy the games!